First report of Diaphorina citri in Nigeria
During surveys conducted in October 2019 in Oyo state (a major citrus-producing state in south-western Nigeria), the presence of Diaphorina citri (vector of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ - Hemiptera: Liviidae, EPPO A1 List) was detected. Surveys were conducted in 10 sites (4 orchards and 6 backyard gardens). Adults were observed feeding on citrus leaves in 8 of the 10 sites, while nymphs were recovered only from one backyard garden. D. citri was observed on sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) and sour orange (Citrus aurantium). The identity of the pest was confirmed by morphological and molecular analysis. The authors consider that D. citri is established and relatively widespread in Oyo state. Tests using a Taqman multiplex real-time PCR did not detect any of the Liberibacter species associated with huanglongbing in the psyllids tested. During the survey none of the inspected trees showed symptoms of infestation by Trioza erytreae (Hemiptera: Triozidae), the African citrus psyllid. It may be recalled that ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’ was recently reported from Nigeria in Benue and Nasarawa states (EPPO RS 2020/100) but no indication about the possible presence of vectors was given. This is the first report of D. citri in western Africa.
The situation of Diaphorina citri in Nigeria can be described as: Present, widespread in Oyo state.
Sources
Oke AO, Oladigbolu AA, Kunta M, Alabi OJ, Sétamou M (2020) First report of the occurrence of Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae), an invasive species in Nigeria, West Africa. Scientific Report 10, 9418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66380-4